To Maintain Global Peace and Security, China Is Taking Action

维护全球和平安全，中国在行动

 

Ambassador Yao Wen Publishes an Op-ed on The Business Standard

驻孟加拉大使姚文在《商业标准报》发表署名文章

 

1 March 2023

2023年3月1日

 

The past February was destined to be unusual. The Ukraine Crisis has been fully escalated and the conflict extended since one year ago, and there is still no hope of peace in sight. The spillover effects of the conflict are still spreading. Global food and energy security are in jeopardy. The world economy continues to slump. Unilateral sanctions imposed by some western countries have only made the situation worse. The Global South, including Bangladesh, has been severely affected. Scientists and security experts have set the “Doomsday Clock” to just 90 seconds to midnight, or self-destruction, the closest the clock has ever stood to humanity’s darkest hour. “The Doomsday Clock is a global alarm clock. We need to wake up – and get to work,” warned the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. What kind of security concept do we need? How can all countries achieve common security? And how can the world achieve long-term peace and stability? These are the historic quests faced by the people of our generation.

刚刚过去的二月注定不同寻常。乌克兰危机已全面升级一年，目前仍看不到和平的曙光。战争的外溢效应还在扩散蔓延。全球粮食和能源安全岌岌可危，世界经济持续低迷，单边制裁更让局势雪上加霜，包括孟加拉国在内的全球南方受到严重冲击。科学家和安全专家已将“末日时钟”调到距离午夜仅剩90秒，这是迄今人类最接近毁灭的信号。联合国秘书长古特雷斯疾呼：“‘末日时钟’给全世界敲响了警钟，我们要清醒过来，开始行动。”当前，我们需要什么样的安全理念、各国如何实现共同安全、世界怎样才能实现长治久安，成为我们必须回答的历史之问、时代之问、人民之问。

 

There are two sorts of responses in this regard at international arena. One is to divide camps, impose unilateral sanctions, and exert extreme pressure. Certain countries blatantly ignore the security concerns of others, but continue to strengthen and even expand military blocs in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, provoking arms races and confrontations between camps. By formulating the so-called “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework” (IPEF) and “Chip Alliance”, non-trade barriers are set up, and the production and supply chains are either decoupled or severed. Issues of economic and technological natures are politicized, instrumentalized, and weaponized. In the name of “democracy” and “human rights”, they divide ideological camps, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and frequently wield unilateral sanctions against others. Whether this approach is to solve problems or to make more troubles, the international community has its own judgment.

对此，国际上有两种答案。一种是划分阵营、单边制裁、极限施压。某些国家无视他国安全关切，不断在欧洲和亚太强化甚至扩张军事集团，挑起军备竞赛和阵营对抗。搞所谓“印太经济框架”“芯片联盟”，将经济科技政治化、工具化、武器化，不断筑墙设垒、脱钩断链。打着“民主”“人权”的旗号大搞双重标准，干涉他国内政，动辄以侵犯人权为借口对他国挥舞单边制裁大棒。这种做法到底是要解决问题还是制造更多问题，国际社会自有公论。

 

The alternative response is quite different. Last April, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Security Initiative (GSI) for the first time at the Boao Forum for Asia, which upholds the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, pursues the long-term objective of building a security community, and advocates a new path to security featuring dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum. China does what it says. In the past February, China took three intensive actions accordingly.

另一种答案则截然不同。去年四月，习近平主席在博鳌亚洲论坛首次提出全球安全倡议，倡导走出一条对话而不对抗、结伴而不结盟、共赢而非零和的新型安全之路，坚持共同、综合、合作、可持续的安全观，构建全球安全共同体。中国是这样说的，更是这样做的。在过去的二月，中方密集采取了三项行动。

 

First, China launched The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper. In this instrument, China underlines the principles of mutual respect, openness and inclusion, multilateralism, mutual benefit and win-win results, and a holistic approach. The concept paper appeals to uphold the UN’s central role in security governance, to promote coordination and sound interaction among major countries, to facilitate peaceful settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue, to tackle traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and to strengthen the system and capacity for global security governance. As the initiator, China promises to stay committed to the path of peaceful development, to the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes, to meeting global challenges, and to follow a Chinese approach to resolve hotspot issues.

一是发布《全球安全倡议概念文件》，强调坚持相互尊重、开放包容、多边主义、互利共赢、统筹兼顾原则，坚定支持联合国安全治理核心作用，努力促进大国协调和良性互动，积极推动对话和平解决热点问题，有效应对传统与非传统安全挑战，不断加强全球安全治理体系和能力建设。中方承诺始终致力于走和平发展道路，推进国际军控、裁军和防扩散进程，与各方携手应对全球挑战，贡献具有中国特色的热点问题解决之道。

 

Second, China elaborated its Position on the Political Solution to the Ukraine Crisis, emphasizing respect for the sovereignty of all countries, abandoning the Cold War mentality, ceasing hostilities, resuming peace talks, resolving the humanitarian crisis, protecting civilians and prisoners of war, keeping nuclear power plants safe, reducing strategic risks, facilitating grain exports, stopping unilateral sanctions, keeping industrial and supply chains stable, and promoting post-conflict reconstruction. As a responsible major country, China takes an objective and impartial stance based on the merits of the issue, and will continue to promote peace talks, contribute its ideas for a political settlement of the crisis, and join the international community to promote dialogue and consultation, address the concerns of all parties and seek common security.

二是发布《关于政治解决乌克兰危机的中国立场》文件，强调尊重各国主权、摒弃冷战思维、停火止战、启动和谈、解决人道危机、保护平民和战俘、维护核电站安全、减少战略风险、保障粮食外运、停止单边制裁、确保产业链供应链稳定、推动战后重建等十二点主张。中方始终立足是非曲直，恪守客观公正，将继续劝和促谈，为政治解决乌克兰危机提供中国智慧，与国际社会一道共同推动对话协商，解决各方关切，谋求共同安全。

 

Third, China officially inaugurated the Preparatory Office of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong, China. The IOMed will be the world’s first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation. It will transcend the limit of litigation and arbitration in which one side wins and the other loses, and it aims to realize win-win cooperation between disputing parties, which is of high significance for maintaining stability of the international order.

三是在中国香港启动筹建国际调解院，打造世界上首个专门以调解方式解决国际争端的政府间国际法律组织，超越司法和仲裁你输我赢的局限性，为各国和平解决国际争端提供新的选择，力争实现争端各方的合作共赢，促进国际秩序稳定。

 

The aforementioned “February Action” initiated by China presents unique features. First, it stands with peace. China abides by the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and always stands on the side of peace and morality. Second, it showcases openness. China’s proposals do not target any specific country, nor exclude certain party. We welcome initiatives from all parties, as long as they are sincere to maintain world peace and security. Third, it promotes consultation. China adheres to true multilateralism, and actively cooperates with all countries and international and regional organizations. In our belief, issues that matter to all shall be addressed through consultation among all.

中方发起的“二月行动”体现如下特征：一是和平性。中方恪守以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为基础的国际关系基本准则，始终站在和平的一边、道义的一边。二是开放性。中方倡议不针对特定国家，也不排斥特定一方。只要是真心维护世界和平与安全的，我们都支持。三是协商性。中方坚持真正的多边主义，主动与世界各国及国际和地区组织开展合作，坚持大家的事商量着办。

 

Both China and Bangladesh are developing countries with like minds and needs. It is necessary for us to strengthen coordination of positions, to voice calls for peace and justice, and to jointly maintain global security and stability.

中国与孟加拉国同为发展中国家，有着相似的观念与诉求。中方愿与孟方等发展中国家一道，加强立场协调、发出正义呼声、壮大和平力量，共同维护全球安全与稳定。

 

The Aesop’s Fables tells a story that the north wind and the Sun bet to see who can make the farmer take off his coat. The north wind howled hard, trying to blow the coat off, but the farmer wrapped it even tighter. The Sun did not spare the sunlight, which made the farmer sweat all over, so he took off his coat voluntarily. In the end, the Sun won.

《伊索寓言》有一则故事，北风和太阳打赌，看谁能除掉农夫身上的棉衣。北风奋力呼啸，想把棉衣吹掉，结果农夫却把棉衣裹得更紧了。太阳则毫不吝惜阳光，晒得农夫全身出汗，主动脱去了棉衣。最终，太阳赢了。

 

Whose approach will you commend, the north wind’s or the Sun’s?

北风和太阳，您会选择支持谁呢？